Shojo Comic
Encyclopedia
is a shōjo manga magazine published twice monthly in Japan by Shogakukan
since 1968. It was originally published weekly and it continued to be published weekly until the 1980s. Many influential shōjo manga ran in Shōjo Comic during the 70s. Moto Hagio
's works and Keiko Takemiya
's works in particular were very groundbreaking.
The manga
it features is marketed to appeal to girl
s from late middle school
through high school
. Originally the manga in Shōjo Comic were very tame, and rarely featured anything that could be considered sexual
in content, not even kissing scenes. Over time, with successful stories such as Mayu Shinjo
's series Kaikan Phrase (Sensual Phrase), which was heavy in sexual content, Shōjo Comic is now seen as having more sexual content than its competitors Margaret
and Hana to Yume
.
The manga series from this magazine are later compiled and published in book form (tankōbon
) under the Flower Comics imprint.
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
since 1968. It was originally published weekly and it continued to be published weekly until the 1980s. Many influential shōjo manga ran in Shōjo Comic during the 70s. Moto Hagio
Moto Hagio
is a manga artist born on May 12, 1949 in Ōmuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, though she currently lives in Saitama Prefecture. She is considered a "founding mother" of modern shōjo manga, especially shōnen-ai. She is also a member of the Year 24 Group...
's works and Keiko Takemiya
Keiko Takemiya
is a Japanese manga artist. She is included in the Year 24 Group. She resides in Kamukura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Takemiya was one of the female authors who in the early 1970s pioneered a genre of girls' comics about love between young men; in December 1970 she published a short story, "In the...
's works in particular were very groundbreaking.
The manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
it features is marketed to appeal to girl
Girl
A girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
s from late middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
through high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. Originally the manga in Shōjo Comic were very tame, and rarely featured anything that could be considered sexual
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
in content, not even kissing scenes. Over time, with successful stories such as Mayu Shinjo
Mayu Shinjo
is a Japanese manga artist. She debuted in 1994 in Shogakukan's Shōjo Comic with "Anata no Iro ni Somaritai". She continued writing for Shogakukan until 2007, with her works appearing in both Shōjo Comic and their other magazine Cheese!...
's series Kaikan Phrase (Sensual Phrase), which was heavy in sexual content, Shōjo Comic is now seen as having more sexual content than its competitors Margaret
Margaret (magazine)
is a biweekly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha, primarily for girls from 11 to 15 years old, although some stories are read by adult women. It was first released as a weekly magazine in 1963. In 2009, the circulation was 154,584...
and Hana to Yume
Hana to Yume
is a semi-monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.The magazine is published on the 4th and 22nd of every month. It is often nicknamed as among the readers...
.
The manga series from this magazine are later compiled and published in book form (tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
) under the Flower Comics imprint.
Manga artists and series featured in Shōjo Comic
- Mitsuru AdachiMitsuru Adachiis a Japanese manga artist. After graduating from Gunma Prefectural Maebashi Commercial High School in 1969, Adachi worked as an assistant for Isami Ishii. He made his manga debut in 1970 with Kieta Bakuon, based on a manga originally created by Satoru Ozawa...
- Hiatari Ryōkō!Hiatari Ryoko!is a high-school romance manga by Mitsuru Adachi. It was published by Shogakukan in 1980–1981 in the magazine Shōjo Comic and collected in five tankōbon volumes. It was later adapted into a live-action television drama series, an anime television series, and an anime film sequel to the television...
- Hiatari Ryōkō!
- Kotomi AokiKotomi Aokiis a Japanese manga artist. She currently resides in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. She received the 2008 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu.- Works :* Asa mo, Hiru mo, Yoru mo...
- Asa mo, Hiru mo, Yoru mo
- Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o SuruBoku wa Imoto ni Koi o Suruis manga series by Kotomi Aoki. Originally serialized in Shōjo Comic, the individual chapters were published in ten tankōbon volumes by Shogakukan from May 2003 until August 2005...
- Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu
- Ijiwaru Shinaide
- Moto HagioMoto Hagiois a manga artist born on May 12, 1949 in Ōmuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, though she currently lives in Saitama Prefecture. She is considered a "founding mother" of modern shōjo manga, especially shōnen-ai. She is also a member of the Year 24 Group...
- Tōma no ShinzōToma no Shinzois a shōjo manga by Moto Hagio published in 1974. It is an early example of shōnen-ai. It has been adapted into a film and a stage play. In September 2011, Fantagraphics announced that it had been licensed for English release in 2012, as a planned single-volume hardcover omnibus translated by Matt...
- They were 11
- Tōma no Shinzō
- Mann IzawaMann Izawawas born August 6, 1945 is a popular manga writer mostly known for his popular manga and anime series Lady Georgie! which was illustrated by Yumiko Igarashi...
(story) and Yumiko IgarashiYumiko Igarashiis a female Japanese manga artist and artist. She is a resident of Sapporo, Hokkaido. She is also the cousin of fellow manga artist Satsuki Igarashi; a member of Clamp....
(art)- Georgie!
- Gō IkeyamadaGo Ikeyamadais a Japanese manga artist. She made her debut with Get Love!! in 2002, which was serialized in Shōjo Comic. Her manga mostly consists for a more young adult audience, due to some explicit content. - Bibliography :* * *...
- Moe Kare!!Moe Kare!!Moe Kare!! is a shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Gō Ikeyamada. It was first serialized in Sho-Comi and published by Shogakukan....
- Uwasa no Midori-kun!!Uwasa no Midori-kun!!is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gō Ikeyamada. It premiered in Shōjo Comic in December 2006 where it ran until its conclusion in October 2008. The individual chapters were collected and published in ten tankōbon volumes by Shogakukan. Two of its chapters are used in Gō...
- Suki Desu Suzuki-kun!!Suki Desu Suzuki-kun!!, alternatively known as The Lovin' "S" , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gō Ikeyamada. It began serialization in October 2008 in the shōjo manga magazine Shōjo Comic and is still ongoing. The chapters are collected and bound in tankōbon format by Shogakukan under the Flower...
- Moe Kare!!
- Shotaro IshinomoriShotaro Ishinomoriwas a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and tokusatsu, creating several immensely popular long-running series such as Cyborg 009 and Himitsu Sentai Goranger, what would go on to become part of the Super Sentai series, and the Kamen Rider Series...
- Cyborg 009Cyborg 009is a manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was serialized in many different magazines, including Monthly Shōnen King, Weekly Shōnen Magazine, Shōnen Big Comic, COM, Shōjo Comic, Weekly Shōnen Sunday, Monthly Shōnen Jump and Monthly Comic Nora in Japan...
(5th version, 1975–1976)
- Cyborg 009
- Miyuki KitagawaMiyuki Kitagawais a Japanese manga artist. She was born on January 1, 1967 in Tokyo, Japan.She is married to Satoru Akahori, who is a novelist.-Works:* Ami! Non Stop * Ano Ko ni 1000% * Chokotto H na Koimonogatari...
- Tokyo JulietTokyo Juliet (manga)is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Miyuki Kitagawa. It was serialized in Shōjo Comic.-Manga:Shogakukan published the manga's 13 bound volumes between March 25, 1996 and July 22, 1999...
- Tokyo Juliet
- Kanan MinamiKanan Minamiis a shōjo manga artist. She is best known for Honey x Honey Drops, which has been licensed in multiple languages and adapted as an original video animation . Her current series, Kyō, Koi o Hajimemasu, is a bestseller that regularly appears on the Tohan comics charts. She writes mainly for Shōjo...
- Honey x Honey DropsHoney x Honey Dropsis a shōjo manga series created by Kanan Minami.The first two volumes of the manga were adapted into a two-episode original video animation in 2006. A dating sim adaptation of the manga, Honey x Honey Drops Love x Love Honey Life, was released as a PlayStation 2 game by Idea Factory on April 6,...
- Ren'ai Shijō Shugi
- Chain of PearlsChain of Pearlsis a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Kanan Minami. The story revolves around the love triangle between two high school soccer players, and their club manager Hisa.-Plot summary:...
- Kyō, Koi o Hajimemasu
- Honey x Honey Drops
- Kaho MiyasakaKaho Miyasakais a Japanese manga artist.Miyasaka is best known for the manga Kare First Love.Her newest manga is called We Came to Know It , which currently consists of 10 volumes.-Works:*16 Engage 2 volumes...
- Binetsu ShōjoBinetsu Shojois a shōjo manga series by Kaho Miyasaka. The title can be translated in English as Feverish Girl.-Plot:Binetsu Shōjo is about a girl named Rina, 15 years of age, who had a crush on a boy she usually sees in the train station every morning. Rina gather the courage to ask for the boy's name...
- Kare: First Love
- Binetsu Shōjo
- Aqua MizutoAqua Mizutois a manga artist who debuted in Shōjo Comic Extra in 1997 with Sakura no Hanasaku Negaigoto. She has published well over 30 short series, though her most popular are Yume Kira Dream Shoppe , Tenjin, Ranmaki Origami, Nighting + Night, and Almightly X 10.- Manga :*Almighty X 10*Go! Virginal...
- Milk Crown
- Milk Crown H!
- Iori Shigano
- Kapōn!
- Sonna Koe Dashicha Iya!
- Mayu ShinjoMayu Shinjois a Japanese manga artist. She debuted in 1994 in Shogakukan's Shōjo Comic with "Anata no Iro ni Somaritai". She continued writing for Shogakukan until 2007, with her works appearing in both Shōjo Comic and their other magazine Cheese!...
- Kaikan Phrase
- Love CelebLove Celebis a shōjo manga series created by Mayu Shinjo. Sakuya Ookochi, the main character from Sensual Phrase, also makes an appearance in this manga, as does Hakuron from the later spin-off Haou Airen.-Story:...
- Ai wo Utau yori Ore ni Oborero! (Blaue Rosen)
- Chie ShinoharaChie Shinoharais an award winning Japanese manga artist best known for Red River, known in Japan as Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori: Anatolia Story. She has twice received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo, in 1987 for Yami no Purple Eye and in 2001 for Red River....
- Ao no FūinAo no Fuinis a shōjo manga series by Chie Shinohara which was serialized in the manga magazine Shōjo Comic from issue 22 in 1991 until 1994. The story is about a high school girl, Sōko Kiryū, who finds out she is the latest reincarnation of Sōryū , the demon queen who once ruled the earth with her demon...
Blue Seal - Red RiverRed River (manga), also known as Anatolia Story, is a historical fantasy shōjo manga series by Chie Shinohara. It is published in Japan by Shogakukan in Sho-Comi and collected in 28 volumes. It is published in English in North America by VIZ Media, with 25 volumes released as of April 2009 and the remaining 3...
Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori - Akatsuki no Lion Safaktaki Aslan
- Ao no Fūin
- Keiko TakemiyaKeiko Takemiyais a Japanese manga artist. She is included in the Year 24 Group. She resides in Kamukura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Takemiya was one of the female authors who in the early 1970s pioneered a genre of girls' comics about love between young men; in December 1970 she published a short story, "In the...
- Kaze to Ki no UtaKaze to Ki no Utais a shōjo manga with yaoi themes by Keiko Takemiya. It was first published by Shougakukan from 1976 to 1984 in the magazine Shōjo Comic. In 1979, it was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen/shōjo manga. The series is widely regarded as a shōnen-ai manga classic, being one of...
- Kaze to Ki no Uta
- Masami Takeuchi
- Moondrop ni Oyasumi
- Yuu WataseYuu Wataseis a female Japanese shōjo manga artist. She received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Ceres, Celestial Legend in 1997. Since writing her debut short story "Pajama de Ojama" , Watase has created more than 80 compiled volumes of short stories and continuing series...
- Alice 19thAlice 19this a Japanese shōjo manga written by Yuu Watase . It appeared as a serial in the manga magazine Shōjo Comic....
- Appare Jipangu!Appare Jipangu!is a manga by Yuu Watase. Set in Japan during the Edo period, it follows the life of Yusura, who as a baby, was found under a cherry tree with the "Kongoumaru" by her side...
- Ceres, Celestial LegendCeres, Celestial Legendis a fantasy shōjo manga series written by Yuu Watase. It was originally serialized in Shōjo Comic from May 1996 through March 2000. The chapters were also published by Shogakukan in fourteen collected volumes...
- Fushigi YūgiFushigi Yūgi, also known as Curious Play, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yu Watase. Shogakukan published Fushigi Yûgi in Shōjo Comic in its original serialized form from May 1992 through June 1996. Viz Media released the manga series in English in North America starting in 1999...
- Fushigi Yūgi Genbu KaidenFushigi Yugi Genbu Kaidenis a manga written by Yuu Watase. It premiered in Japan in 2003 in Sho-Comi, moved to an off-shoot magazine, Fushigi Yûgi Perfect World, in 2004. It was serialized sporadically in Monthly Flowers until 2008 when the series went on hiatus until spring 2010, when it began serialization in Rinka...
- Imadoki!Imadoki!is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yuu Watase. The manga is five volumes long. It has been licensed in North America by Viz Media.-Plot:...
- Zettai Kareshi
- Alice 19th
- Rie Takada
- Punch!Punch!is a manga written by Rie Takada, creator of Happy Hustle High. The series is published in Japan by Shogakukan, and in the United States in English by VIZ Media....
- Heart
- Wild ActWild ActWild Act is a ten-volume manga series by Rie Takada, and was the first of her series to be translated in English. It was translated by Tokyopop, who opted not to renew the license once it expired.-Plot:...
- Happy Hustle HighHappy Hustle High, is a manga series by Rie Takada. The series is published in Japan by Shogakukan and in the United States in English by VIZ Media.-Plot:Happy Hustle High follows the exploits of Hanabi Ozora. Hanabi is an assertive 16-year old who protects her less assertive friends. The all-girls' school that...
- Punch!
- Kozue Chiba
- Hitori bocchi wa samishikute
- BLUEBlueBlue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
Related magazines
- BetsucomiBetsucomi, formerly known as Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shogakukan, originally aimed at young girls, but increasingly marketed to older teens and young women. It is released on the 13th of each month...
- ChuchuChuchu (magazine)ChuChu is a Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shogakukan for early teen girls . ChuChu became a monthly published shōjo manga magazine as a separation from Ciao in December 2005...
- CiaoCiao (magazine)is a Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shogakukan for young girls . The first issue was launched in 1977. As of 2009, the circulation was 815,455. Formerly, the magazine attached paper crafts, but now attaches various goods that are different every month...
- Deracomi
- Shōjo Comic Zōkan
- Shōjo Comic Cheese!
Reception
In 2007, the Japanese National PTA Conference ranked Sho-Comi the #1 worst comic magazine for young children due to its excessive sexual content. Many concerned parents have advised publishers to be more wary of the availability of these magazines to young readers. According to the Japan Magazine Publishers Association, research conducted in 2005 revealed that 26% of Sho-Comis readers were below the age of 13.External links
- ShoComi Official Website